Power-transmission gearing



March l1, 1930. D. R. scHoLEs 1,749,892

POWER TRANSMISSION GEARING Filed Deo'. 1o. 1928 5 ya i @y Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED y STATES PATENT OFFICE DANIEL CR. SCHOLES, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AERMOTOR COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF'ILLINOS POWER-TRANSMISSION GEARING Application mea December 1o, 192s. serial No. 325,034.

My invention relates to p'ower transmission mechanism which employs power transmission gearing including two rotating members, two co-extensive and symmetrically i'elatedpitinen, each rotating member having a pitman individual thereto and in pivotal connection at one end therewith, a cross-head common to both pitmen and having pivotal connection therewith at the other ends thereof, and a load rod extending along and between the planes of movement of the pitmen. Gearing lof this character is commonly included in the construction of wind mills and when thus used the two rotating members mentioned are generally in the form of spur gears which are driven by spur pinions meshing therewith. These pinions, in turn, are provided upon the shaft ofthe wind wheel whereby the pinions are'turned to reciproo cate the load rod through the intermediation of the other mentioned parts. A well-known form of wind mill constructed and arranged as described is provided with. hubs for the spur gears that are in telescoping and interlocking relation, this relation being maintained by the spur pinions which are in fixed relation with each other. Slight relative rotary movements ,of the spur gearsmay arise due to backlash, this slight relative movea ment of the gears being accompanied by slightrocking movementof the cross-head through the unequal action of the pitman. Such slight movement of the cross-head may also occur due to vlooseness in other parts of the structure as for example in the connections between the pitmen and spur gears and between the pitmen and the cross-head. The load rod,'wliich generally operates a pump in a wind mill structure, passes between the pitmen and is apt to have itsconnection with the cross-head strained since the load rodand the cross-head have hitherto been in rigid relation. This result is particularly apt to occur when the cross-head nears and is at the middle of the stroke. For the reason stated the connection between the loadV rod and the cross-head has frequently been broken. I overcome this objectionable char- 50 e acteristic in wind mills having the structural characteristics described by employing a 'movement In adapting my invention to a wind mill having these further characteris tics I provide a shaft which couples the crosshead and the adjacent end of the load rod and which is positioned and serves to afford an axis of relative vmovement of the-cross-head and load rod that is in a planethat is angular and preferably perpendicular to the planes of r movement of the pitman. For purposes of assembly I have disposed this shaft to be sufficiently oblique tothe plane containing the aforesaid rods to permit the shaft to be readily inserted in completing the assembly f of the parts.

v The invention will be explained more fully by reference to thev accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is an elevation, taken partially in section on line l-l of Fig. 2g Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig l; Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. l; Fig. 4 is a sectional veiw on line 4.-4 of Fig. 3; and Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5 5 of Fig. 3.

The revolving head l of the wind mill is mounted to turn upon a collar 9. mounted upon and surrounding a suitably supported stationary upright tubular wind wheel mounting 3 through which is freely passed n, the upright reciprocating pump rod or load shaft 4.

The mill head is form'ed with horizontal bearings 6 for the horizontal wind wheel shaft 7 which carries the wheel of the mill. Two upright co-axial spui pinions 8, 8 of the same diameter are xedly secured upon the shaft 7 and mesh with the co-axial upright spur gears 9, 9 of the same diameter. The spur gears 9, 9 are provided with hub portions 10, l0. The hub portion l0 is in shown in Fig. 1. The two hub portions are maintained in the relation shown by the meshing of the pinions 8, 8 with the gears 9, 9.

.Coextensive and symmetrically related pitmen 12 are connected at their lowerends With the spur gears 9, 9 to be driven thereby,

these pitmen terminating at their upper ends in bearings 13 through which a shaft 14 passes. An idler sheave 15 is provided upon f Y the middle of the shaft 14 and is maintained spaced apart from the bearings 13 'by the non-rotating spacing sleeves 16 through rigid relation and to which the upper end ofthe pumprod or load shaft is secured in order that it may be reciprocated by the'pitmen. The parts 16 and 17 constitute a cross-head whichtakes part in coupling the'upper ends of the pitmen with the load rod 4. As the sheave is co-axial with the shaft 14, it is also co-axial with the upper ends of the pitmen.

r-Ihe sheave has a transverselyfcurved annular groove in itsperiphery that Vreceives the vertical sides or guidingv rod portions of the guiding stirrup 18, whereby the upper ends of the pitmen areconstrained to move in a verticalrectilinear path to impart similar movement to the pump rod or load shaft 4.

I-Iitherto the connection ofthe upper end of the loadrod 4 with .the cross-head was rigid. If the relatively moving parts are lnot accurately constructed or become worn,

the cross-head is apt-to rock slightly in the` general direction of the travel of the load rod,V causing undue strain upon the rigid connection between the load rod and crosshead, this strain increasing when the crosshead is in the lower part of its stroke. Fracture of the rigid union between the cross-head and load rod may consequently result.- I avoid this possibility by providing a flexible union between the cross-head and the upper end of the load rod. This flexible union is desirably established by means of the horizontal shaft 19 which is passed through the cross-head and the upper end of the load rod. rlfhis shaft has a head 19 at one end and is Y provided with a key 20 through its other'end whereby displacement of the shaft is avoided.

. The cross-head may turn slightly upon the shaft or the shaft may turn with the crosshead and in the upper end of the load rod, or

both of these movements may occur,'the shaft being positioned and serving to define an that is angular and preferably prependicular to the planes of movement of the pitmen.

The construction is such that the shaft 19 n may be located slightly but suciently oblique to the vertical plane containing the guide rods (Fig. 3) to permit this shaft to clear these rods to bereadily assembled with Y the cross-head and load rod after theotlier parts are assembled. In Iig. 3 I have by dot and dash lines in a manner to show that it has full guiding contact with but one ofthe guide rods at a time. It will be observed that the sides of the peripheral groove in the sheave has lateral clearance from the guide rods received therein. This permits a slight canting of the sheave with respect to indicated the sheave the common plane of the guide rods without y iinpairing the guiding function and enables the shaft 14 to be slightly linclined as the upper pitmen ends moverelatively inthe general upright plane of movement of these.'

pitmen ends and said shaft to compensate for inequalities of movement ofthe pitmen thatmay be forced by imperfections in construction. In Fig. QI have indicated clearances 15Y between the hub of the sheave and the distance preserving portions 16 of the cross-head. This permits bodily movement of the sheave sidewise upon this shaftV 14. The cross-head is thus permitted to Weave to compensate for any misalignment of the connections of the pitmen with the spur gears, this weaving being readily permitted because ofthe flexible connection of the load rod with the crosshead.

Changes maybe made without departing from my invention.l

Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. lPower transmission gearing including two rrotating members; two co-extensive and:

symmetrically related pitmen, each rotating member having a pitman individual thereto and in pivotal connection at one end there-y with; a cross-head common to bothpitmen and havingpivotal connection therewith at the other ends thereof; a peripherally grooved sheave assembled with the cross-head Y y pitmen ends in the general upright planef of their movementnwithout impairing the guiding function; and a load rod extending .along and between the, pitmen and having flexible connection with said cross-head defining an axis of relative movement between the load rod and cross-head that is angular.

to the general upright plane of movement of the latter pitmen ends.

2. Power transmission gearing including two rotating members; two co-extensive and symmetrically related pitmen, each rotating member having a pitman individual thereto and in pivotal connection at one end therewith; a cross-head common to both pitmen and having pivotal connection therewith at the other ends thereof, a peripherally grooved sheave assembled with the crosshead and co-axial with the ends of the pitmen that have pivotal connection with the cross-head; guide rods received in the peripheral groove of the sheave; a load rod extending along and between the pitmen; and

`1g, a shaft coupling the cross-head and the adjacent end of the load rod and positioned to afford an axis of relative movement of the cross-head and load rod that is in a plane angular to the planes of movement of the pit- H1611.

3. Power transmission gearing including two rotating members; two co-extensive and symmetrically related pitmen, each rotating member having a pitman individual thereto and in pivotal connection at one end therewith; a cross-head common to both pitmen and having pivotal connection therewith at the other ends thereof; a peripherally grooved sheave assembled with the cross-head and co-axial with the ends of the pitmen that have pivotal connection with the cross-head; guide rods received in the peripheral groove of the sheave; a load rod extending along and between the pitmen; and a shaft coupling the cross-head andthe adjacent end of the load rod and positioned to afford an axis of relative movement of the cross-head and n load rod that is in a plane angular to the planes of movement of the pitmen, said shaft being also sufficiently oblique to the plane containing the aforesaid guide rods to permit the shaft to clear these rods.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name.

DANIEL R. soHoLEs. 

